St. George's School GCIP-Paris Blog

Bonjour!

As we begin the end of GCIP Paris 2014, we are beginning to look back on our past two weeks in Paris.

Annabel is working at NLB Conseil, an executive search and talent management company. This internship roughly involves translating documents from French to English for the company's website, organizing and stapling, and researching and documenting recruits into NLB's data-base. I had to overcome many struggles not only involving the language barrier, but also typing on a french key-board. All my colleagues in the office have been extremely welcoming and patient with all my questions. I am learning a lot already from being in a working environment and hope to continue learning more as I conclude my remaining days at NLB Conseil.

Emma is working at Fromageries Bel, a company that manages many different cheese brands across the globe. They are most well known in the United States for their brand Babybel. I've had an amazing time working at Bel! I was incredibly nervous my first day, as I am the first St. George's student to ever work there, but from the moment I entered the office, everyone was so kind. They all seemed so genuinely excited to see and welcome me. From the first day, I found myself doing various tasks for the Human Resources department. They first introduced me to the company; I found out a lot about their international brands. From just one week there, I already know so much about production, marketing, finances, and human resources at Bel. The head of Talent Management, Laurence Hollobon, has been especially welcoming. On the first day, she called me from London to tell me how excited she was to have me at Bel. Bel has never had an international intern before, so it was exciting for them to have me! Essentially, I've been helping Bel France connect with English-speaking Bel. Through translations of emails, powerpoints, packets, and press releases, I've helped make Bel a more international company. It's been an amazing experience getting to know everyone in the office and learning all about Bel!

We think we can say on behalf of the whole group, one of the best parts of this past week has been the spring sales. Everything, across the city, gets marked down up to 70% off. Everyone scored some deals at boutiques and larger stores like Au Printemps and Le Bon Marché. We experienced our first rain this weekend, but we stayed inside the stores, mostly.

Saturday morning, we saw Mr. Westermann and Ms. Keller for brunch. They are on a European tour through Turkey, Romania, France, and the UK. It was so nice seeing them and speaking some English!

One of the most amusing parts of our stay in Paris has been our stay with our host family. Joining a family of four boys almost guarantees excitement, especially during the World Cup. Our favorite is 11 year old Timothe, who is our go to for conversation. The two older boys have been busy with exams and graduation, so we haven't seen too much of them. Pierre, the 14 year old, has been away on a school trip for the past week. We have been adjusting to one toilet for 8 people and minimal WeeFee, but every night we end up laughing about our mishaps. Day by day, we become more confident walking down Rue Brunel, the side street we take walking home.

We've also learned a lot about living in Paris.
1. PDA is very acceptable. Especially on escalators.
2. Razor scooters are acceptable at any age. (think: middle aged).
3. Secondhand smoke is unavoidable.
4. Breakfast does not include more than a starch and a coffee. No eggs, no bacon.
5. If France wins a match in the World Cup, you can guarantee no sleep.
6. Always order dessert.
7. You will not ever get a huge glass of water. Nor will it be cold.
8. Bedtime for 4 year olds is about midnight.

Bon soir!

Emma and Annabel